On 22 November 2022, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated, on Tuesday, at Aljada Center, the third edition of the Learning Difficulties Conference, organized by the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties under the slogan “For a Better Tomorrow.”
The conference will discuss, over a period of 3 days, 5 main axes, which are the awareness, educational, psychological, rehabilitation and social axes, through 20 scientific working papers that are presented in 5 discussion events by a group of experts and specialists from the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The conference is also organizing 4 workshops, through which it sheds light on the most prominent global trends and practices adopted in the rehabilitation and empowerment of people with learning difficulties.
The opening ceremony began with the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates, after which the audience watched a visual presentation on the vision, mission and objectives of the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties and the most prominent accomplishments it has achieved, and the innovative services, programs and activities provided by the Center with the aim of achieving its objectives focused on developing community and institutional awareness in the field of learning difficulties, and the Center’s efforts to develop learning methods and provide modern systems and innovative means to support people with learning Difficulties and their families, as well as utilizing the latest practices in the field of qualifying specialized cadres, providing educational alternatives for people with learning difficulties and rehabilitating them to integrate into society.
Dr. Hanadi Al Suwaidi, Director of the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties, gave a speech in which she indicated that the organization of the third Learning Difficulties Conference is in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership towards exerting maximum efforts to support the group of people with learning difficulties and create a prosperous future for them. This is embodied in the conference slogan “For a Better Tomorrow,” especially in light of the workshops, discussion platforms and scientific working papers that discuss many social and educational issues.
Dr. Al Suwaidi addressed the objectives of the conference, which seeks to shed light on the most important recent trends in educational services provided to people with learning difficulties at school age, and to review the challenges and difficulties facing educational institutions in dealing with the category of people with learning difficulties, in addition to focusing on early detection and recent trends in the process of diagnosis and evaluation for this group, according to best international practices, as well as the importance of activating family and community counseling programs for people with learning difficulties.
Ending her speech, the SCLD Director thanked all the parties and strategic partners for their cooperation in organizing this event.
For her part, Khawla Al Hosani, Director of the Operations Department of Sharjah Education Academy, spoke about the great interest of the Emirate of Sharjah in education and learning for all people in general, and for those with learning difficulties in particular, and providing all means and methods to integrate them into society and enable them to unleash their potential.
In her speech, she addressed the vision of the Sharjah Private Education Authority and the Sharjah Education Academy within a strategy that places great importance on building and developing the personal, life and cognitive skills of learners, by working closely with educational institutions, providing a flexible education system for people with learning difficulties, and preparing teachers.
Al Hosani reviewed a number of procedures and measures that the Sharjah Private Education Authority works on to educate and develop people with learning difficulties, by empowering educational institutions with supportive policies, developing educational staff, supportive partnerships, monitoring and follow-up, early examination and proper diagnosis, as well as spreading awareness among parents to help children.
Dr. George Hagerty, President of the Beacon College in Florida, USA, gave a speech in which he praised the efforts of the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties in its continuous work to support and empower students through well-studied programs, events and plans, pointing out the importance of cooperating with many parties for the integration of roles to achieve the desired goals.
Dr. Hagerty addressed the importance of working on scientific research, continuous follow-up, and making use of technological means and tools in developing the response of students with learning difficulties to study programs, reviewing a number of scientific studies in this aspect. He also pointed out the importance of the role of teachers in motivating and encouraging students and developing their capabilities.
At the end of the opening ceremony, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah honored the strategic partners, sponsors and supporters of the conference. The honoring included the Ministry of Community Development, the Sharjah Private Education Authority, the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Media.
The activities of the conference on its first day included the organizing of two dialogue platforms in Arabic and English, and 7 working papers. The first platform reviewed the experience of the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties, and the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of learning difficulties, in addition to discussing problems of diagnosing learning difficulties from the point of view of teachers and experts, and reviewing the experience of a parent of a student with learning difficulties. The second platform discussed learning difficulties from a psychological perspective. It addressed the experiences of Arab IQ and achievement tests and their importance for students, in addition to providing advice, information and guidance on the mental health of families with learning difficulties.
On its second day, Wednesday, the conference will witness the holding of three dialogue platforms, through which it sheds light on a number of topics related to the educational, rehabilitation and social aspect of people with learning difficulties, of which the most prominent difficulties are reading and writing in early school stages, the role of the teacher in the psychological preparation of students, and the prediction of the “academic self” concept through the skills of solving problems for students with learning difficulties. On the conference last day, workshops will be organized where the latest strategies used with students, artificial intelligence and learning difficulties, and ADHD recent trends will be reviewed..
The opening of the conference was attended by: Sheikha Jamila bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Head of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, Sheikh Saud bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Digital Office, Salem Ali Al Muhairi, Chairman of the Sharjah Municipal Council, Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Media City (Shams), and a number of officials and specialists.
